I’m A Sikh And I’ve Cut My Hair. So What?

When I was fifteen, I attended my first (and only) IIGS camp (International Institute of Gurmat Studies). I packed my bags, excited to head up to Arrowhead for a week to spend time with all of my childhood family friends. I was the only one among us who had cut hair. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, because none of my parents’ dominantly Sikh social circle (who, for the most part, all have kept their hair) had ever made my family or me feel out of place for not keeping our hair uncut.

The first morning at the campsite, the head of camp requested that we all meet in the camp’s courtyard. We were to show up with our hair let down in it’s natural state. I got dressed that morning and headed down into the courtyard. Upon arrival, I felt the most awkward I’ve ever felt for having cut hair. Most of the girls and boys had thick, beautiful hair down to their ankles. A select few of us had cut hair.

Most of the children at camp were from far more religious backgrounds than me. Yes, I’d grown up going to the Sikh temple occasionally for momentous occasions and attending a Punjabi school every other Sunday where I learned to read and write my heritage’s language. But I still felt judged. I still felt out of place. I still felt as if I’d committed a cardinal sin by cutting my hair.

I still felt as if I’d committed a cardinal sin by cutting my hair.

I left camp, eventually forgetting altogether how inferior that morning in the campsite’s courtyard made me feel. I went on with my life, probably visiting the hair salon for a cut at least fifty times in the last eleven years. I go to the Sikh temple for special occasions and religious events. I don’t wear a kara, and I can’t recite the Gurbani to you by heart. I didn’t give any of these things a second thought until I entered adulthood.

I moved to New York City two and a half years ago. Being born and raised in southern California, I wasn’t personally affected by 9/11 the way so many of my acquaintances who have grown up in the tri-State area unfortunately were. I remember the Sikh community got slaughtered in the aftermath of the attack because our men wear turbans. Sikh taxi drivers were killed, Sikh men were held up disrespectfully in airport security lines and Sikh temples were threatened.

I started to socialize with a lot of Sikhs my own age when I moved here. Some have cut hair like me, but the majority has kept their hair. All of my friends with turbans and long hair are working professionals or students in highly ranked graduate programs. It wasn’t until I started socializing with a Sikh crowd here in New York that I felt that same feeling of inferiority that I felt eleven years ago in that campsite courtyard.

As Sikhs, we’re taught to practice equality.

Sikhism preaches many underlying values. As Sikhs, we’re taught to practice equality. We’re taught that salvation is achieved by good deeds and remembrance of God. We’re taught that there is only one God. We’re taught to be good people. With all of the positive influence that the religion’s teachings have on its followers, I cant help but be infuriated that the orthodox population of Sikhs believe that I, as well as the others with cut hair, are not “as fit Sikhs” because we’ve chosen not to keep our hair.

I have the utmost respect for my Sikh friends and family who have kept their hair, yet I can’t help but wonder why the orthodox generation within the Sikh community still shuns those of us who haven’t for our decision.

Do bi-monthly visits to the salon make me less passionate about my faith? Does the fact that I chose to cut my hair mean that I don’t understand what it must be like for the Sikh men who have faced hardships due to keeping theirs? Does the fact that I don’t wear a steel kara mean that I don’t understand the teachings of the Gurus? Does choosing practicality over passion make me an unfit human?

Today there are more Sikh youths that don’t have their long hair than there are those that do.

Today there are more Sikh youths that don’t have their long hair than there are those that do. That doesn’t make Sikhism a dying religion, nor does it make Sikhism a faith filled with hypocrites for followers. Religion is a sensitive subject in this now unsafe world — which makes me have all the more respect for my peers who have chosen to keep their hair. But at the end of the day, especially in this day and age, God is God and people will always have different opinions as to what defines a fit religious follower.

It’s been eleven years since that morning in the campsite. I’ve walked into countless Sikh temples, and have had countless of the orthodox elderly Sikh generation judge me for my cut, layered hair. I’m an educated, independent, female professional living, working and succeeding in the largest metropolitan city in North America. It’s time for me to stop allowing orthodox views to make me feel inferior, in a world that should be striving to unite in the face of daily destruction and judgment all around us.

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Seerat Bhatia was born and raised in southern California, and she now lives and works in New York City. She writes about South Asian culture in the West. Follow her at @seeratbhatia90.

14 Comments

Hi Seerat,
I appreciate your article and i want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify on this subject as it is often misunderstood by majority of people born into Punjabi culture. Often we are given impression that because we are born in Punjabi family and visit Sikh Temple that someone we are Sikhs. I myself was confused about difference in being a punjabi and being a Sikh at one point in my life and did not really understand it myself as i used to cut my hair. I has been 5 years since taken Amrit/Phoal and i think i am starting to understand the difference.
Actually Sikh is some one who follows the teachings of Gurbani. In order to understand Gurbani you must be able to read Gurbani or at least read different transactions of Gurbani. Besides that you must make honest effort to live the teachings of Gurbani, only then one can truly call themself a Sikh.
In Japji Sahib in the very being you can learn the importance of Hukam. Hukam is one of.. to be continued.

Continued… Hukam is one of the basic teachings of Gurbani which means to follow the will of God/Guru. Guru tells us that everything in this universe it in created by Hukam another words by the will of God, including our Body and its features. Now your hair are one of the most important features of the body ( your can learn more about it from scientific community) they are given to you by the will of God. When you or someone cuts your hair it is in direct violation of teachings of Gurbani. Guru teaches us to let go of our own ideas and thoughts by following the teachings of Guru only then one can realize the chance of Salvation in this lifetime. May Guru Nanak bless you with vision to be Sikh.
Thanks

These days everyone has become experts on Sikhism. Just tagging yourself as a Sikh without adhering to Sikh ethos does not make you a Sikh.

If you are a Sikh then you must believe in the union with EkOnakaar and through Sikh way of life you. If not it’s ok to console and give endless reasons to yourself that everything is ok, in the end after your DEATH you will be judged on your actions ( and please don’t think in any way that you are a nice person, you are infected by 5 vices just like me and others) and will continue to be born again and die again endless times. So, big fella enjoy your life as per your own fake Sikh standards. Our Gurus Must had a reason to set a code of ethics and construct a Sikh way of life for nothing.
Unprooofed passage.

Being a Sikh is no better or worse than belonging to any other faith, or no faith at all. Your actions are what make you a good person or a bad person.

That being said, if you cut your hair, you are not a Sikh. Your uncut hair is the uniform of a Sikh… So that people who need help can identify you as a Sikh and know that you will be helpful, brave, and willing to defend the vulnerable. We are supposed to stand out.

If you want to cut your hair, that’s fine. It doesn’t make you a bad person. There are many other faiths that are equal to Sikhism in the eyes of God. Nanak told us that there are no Hindus, and there are no Muslims…. Meaning we are all the same, and all faiths are equivalent. Find a faith that suits you and be happy. But please don’t cut your hair and tell the world that you’re still Sikh. You’re just making it harder on the rest of us.

Taking Khande batte da Amrit was for Sikhs with great resolution and sense of sacrifice. If you read Sikh history, many Sikhs kept cut hairs. Guru Giving Singh Ji was always asking his Sikhs to take Amrit. Historically, there always has been a distinction between Singh and Sikh. E.g. writer of gurbani vayakaran was a Hindu who became a Singh. A person belonging to Sikh family who hasn’t taken Amrit is Sikh, not Singh.
Calling all Sikhs with cut, trimmed hairs of other religion is factually incorrect. Also cutting even one hair on body can be regarded as a Singh becoming part(apostate) which is like breaking a vow to Guru.
It is important to read various accounts of Sikh history from different perspectives to gain a balanced understanding of this issue.
Sikhs are followers of Gurus path. Singh are knights of truth, justice and equality. Gurus only guide us to right path. It is our resolution and courage to walk that path. And all of the walkers of the true path must stand united.

Could not digest my comments? Writing an article against Sikh articles of Faith to make yourself know to the world?, then have guts to swallow the bitter pill. You ain’t a Sikh. That’s the bottom line.

Nice article. 5Ks are resolution to protect the weak. Keeping 5Ks does not magically bring you closer to God. We are not Muslims who believe in some mediator giving recommendation to God for who should go to heaven. Sikh humbly treats the saints and learns from them with humility, accepting whatever is in accordance with Gurus teachings. Arrogance wrt 5Ks will only take us away from sikhism. Guru Ram Das Ji wiping the feet of Sri Chand shows how much away from humility we as Sikhs are.
That said, 5Ks are a resolution, to stand up to injustice. Somewhat saying that we are strong and ready to stop oppressive people from harming those who can’t defend themselves. Without that resolution and putting it to practice, the 5Ks mean nothing at all.

Based solely off what you wrote, It sounds to me as if the struggle you are having is with yourself and not with the orthodox members of the sikh faith. I get the idea that you feel you are not worthy of being called a sikh and are looking for someone to blame.

Perhaps you can do a better job of explaining why you feel insecure and not look for the cop-out by blaming others. Once agian, this is based off solely what you wrote, your words.

The founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak never laid down such rules. It is only Guru Gobind Singh who asked baptised Sikhs to keep unshorn hair. Guru Gobind Singh also did not say those who are not Khalsa are not Sikhs. Unshorn hair is only for Khalsa Sikhs. Some orthodox self styled experts on Sikhism made new rehits later during Tat Khalsa movement under British rule to make it seem as if all Sikhs have to keep unshorn hair. Earlier Sikh women also did not wear turbans. These orthodox trends have come up later as an insecure response to avoid being assimilated by Muslims or Hindus.

Sikhism is originally against any useless rituals. Only God can judge you. Not mere mortals. Many so called Sikhs with unshorn hair commit crimes like honour killing, female foeticide, drugs related crimes, terrorism, assassinations etc. Does that make them great Sikhs? Ignore them.

These people who follow man made rules made after death of Gurus are best left ignored.

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